1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golf clubs and more particularly to golf clubs having sighting means for accurately aligning the club head with the golf ball to be struck and the hole which acts as a target.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A standard golf putter consists basically of a grip region for the hands of the user to maintain a steady hold on the club, a shaft to transmit the user's swing energy to the ball, and a club head through which momentum is transmitted on impact to the object ball. The shaft is mounted to one side of the club head, and the device is aimed by the user's standing erect and judging the distance and terrain to the object "hole", lining up the face of the putter normally to the intended ball driving axis, and having a controlled swing culminating in impacting the ball and sending it along its intended path. Judging the putter's head angle is often difficult, even to someome skilled in its use, as a longer putt of several tens of feet or meters requires putting surface face angle judgment in terms of minutes of arc-angle. Not only must the putter user objectively define target distance, direction and terrain, but he must translate that information to the club head by looking up and ahead, looking down at the club head at his or her feet, and looking ahead, this culminating in impacting the ball along a planned trajectory.
Several putters are available with modified striking heads, which are oriented primarily to allow a square and direct impact with the ball. One such putter has an arrow pointing in the direction of the swing, the arrow being printed on the top of the club head to aid in both directing the swing and in gauging the impact point of the ball with the club face.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,327,171, issued Jan. 6, 1920 to Ruggles, shows a golf putter with an angled mirrored surface for aiming the putter head at the object hole or "cup". U.S. Pat. No. 1,555,062, issued Oct. 6, 1925 to Baugh, discloses a putter which is aimed by aligning cross hairs in a 90.degree. angle of a viewing device comprising an upper lens with cross hairs disposed thereon, an angled mirror, and a front vertically aligned lens with cross hairs. Alignment with the cup is accomplished only in a vertical rotational axis. U.S. Pat. No. 2,463,789, issued Mar. 8, 1949 to Paisley, describes a putter having two mirrored surfaces. One mirror contains a sighting line for targeting the alignment of the putter face with the cup in a vertical rotational axis. The second mirror is provided to establish alignment in a horizontal rotational axis. This mirror is mounted behind the putter head in a position substantially normal to the putting face. U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,430, issued Apr. 29, 1975 to McCabe, discloses a putting club head that utilizes various alignment marks located normal and/or parallel to the club face and to the viewer's normal line of vision, so as to establish club alignment relative to vertical and horizontal rotational axes. The following design patents also show golf putters having alignment means for the heads: U.S. Pat. No. D. 233,533, issued Nov. 5, 1974 to Carban; U.S. Pat. No. D. 239,637, issued Apr. 20, 1976 to Loggins; and U.S. Pat. No. D. 245,439, issued Aug. 16, 1977 to Thiel.